Brentford staged an impressive second-half comeback to defeat Newcastle United 3-1 at the Gtech Community Stadium, with Brazilian striker Igor Thiago scoring twice to compound the Magpies' growing travel sickness in the Premier League.
Newcastle's Away Day Blues Continue
Something appears fundamentally wrong with Newcastle United when they leave the north-east. While they've shown they can raise their game for prestigious Champions League nights at St James' Park, their performance against Brentford mirrored concerning displays in recent away defeats, including last week's loss at West Ham.
Their winless run away from home now stretches to nine Premier League matches, dating back to April. Most alarmingly for manager Eddie Howe, there were few signs of improvement throughout the 90 minutes in West London.
Barnes Breakthrough Against the Run of Play
The match unfolded in frustrating fashion for Brentford manager Keith Andrews, who must have wondered how his side fell behind despite controlling proceedings for large periods. The Bees dictated the flow of an often pedestrian game, looking comfortable defensively while creating gradual threats going forward.
Yet against the run of play, Eddie Howe's travel-sick team took the lead just before the half-hour mark. A neat passing move - Newcastle's only notable one of the entire game - culminated in Harvey Barnes receiving the ball just inside Brentford's penalty area. A wonderful shift of body weight sent two Brentford defenders the wrong way, creating space for the winger to drill home between the goalkeeper's legs.
With Anthony Gordon ruled out due to a hip niggle, it marked an opportune moment for Barnes to register his first league goal of the campaign.
Brentford's Inevitable Comeback
The sense of a Brentford equaliser grew increasingly inevitable as the second half progressed. The hosts had exhibited their ball-playing prowess numerous times without reward before eventually breaking through via their trusted set-piece route.
The equaliser arrived when Nick Pope failed to connect properly with an attempted punch from Michael Kayode's long throw. The resulting flick-on found German forward Kevin Schade, who nodded home from close range to level the scores.
What followed was a truly extraordinary sequence featuring the same two players in consecutive incidents. Brentford were first denied a penalty when Dango Ouattara went down under challenge from Dan Burn, with VAR ruling the Newcastle defender's contact as "minimal". Ouattara received a yellow card for simulation, adding to the home side's frustration.
Yet moments later, justice appeared to be served when Burn received his comeuppance. Played through over the top, Ouattara reached the ball first and was brought down by the Newcastle full-back. This time, the referee delivered a different verdict: penalty and a second yellow card for Burn, reducing Newcastle to ten men.
Igor Thiago stepped up confidently and stroked the spot-kick past Aaron Ramsdale, who had come off the bench to replace the injured Pope after the penalty had been awarded.
Thiago Seals the Points
With Newcastle effectively buried, Thiago added gloss to the scoreline deep into injury time, securing his eighth league goal of an impressive personal campaign. A Malick Thiaw slide tackle managed to cut out a long pass through the middle, but his interception only diverted the ball straight into the path of Thiago's run. The Brazilian showed composure to finish calmly past Ramsdale.
Brentford can now add Newcastle to the list of notable clubs they've defeated at home this season, joining Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa. While the game was only pockmarked by moments of quality, the victory thoroughly merited their dominance.
For Newcastle, Dan Burn's sending off proved largely irrelevant to a defeat they fully deserved. Aside from Barnes' goal, they were utterly impotent in attack, managing only that solitary shot on target throughout the entire match. Their travel malady continues to afflict them severely when leaving the north-east, raising serious questions about their ability to maintain European aspirations without solving their away form crisis.
